Killer Whales In The Film Blackfish

A documentary about killer whales may not be that intriguing when one first catches word of it; once the viewer takes a look, they understand why it has become a well know film and has spread like wild fire. Blackfish, a documentary directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, discusses the negatives of keeping killer whales in captivity. It drives home the fact that industries who keep these large creatures captive, should be boycotted by the public. Blackfish uses literary devices to evoke the audience’s emotions to persuade them that the SeaWorld industry is cruel and that killer whales do not belong in captivity, but also explains it in a biased point of view. When one first looks at the documentary, visually, it is both thought and emotionally resonating. The cover of the film shows an image of Tilikum, one of the main whales discussed, and he is surrounded by darkness. This dark grey color on the rest of the cover gives off a dark mood, setting the tone for the documentary. The quote “never capture what you can’t control” is stated across the bottom as well, leading to an idea of the topic of the film. Within the first ten minutes, the viewer is faced with footage of the capturing of baby killer whales. Seeing this will most likely cause the viewer to understand that this is wrong to be taking babies away from their families and natural habitats. Later throughout the documentary, there is footage of killer whales in captivity, showing captive life in a negative light. They show attacks on trainers and other whales, more capturing, footage of trainers who have died, and the most powerful of all, the interviews with previous trainers and experts on killer whales. Blackfish often shows videos of killer whales in captivity and then pans to a different video of killer whales in the wild. They show the gruesome effects of captivity and then immediately display the peaceful side of the wild. The mere sight of seeing how captivity is not beneficial for these creatures evokes emotion in the viewer. Just within the first ten minutes the viewer will find himself mournful and wanting to help these animals. Seeing the whales in captivity and all the footage of attacks and whales being captured immediately makes the viewer have a strong opinion about the topic and their emotions back this. Being told that captivity is not good for killer whales is one thing, but seeing the evidence causes the viewer to truly understand the extent of their captive lives. They see the whales picking on each other, they see the blood and agony that goes along with it, they see the emotion in the whales themselves along with the trainers who worked with these whales for years. An important part of the film to note is Blackfish includes old commercials from SeaWorld throughout the film. This shows SeaWorld advertised the park as being magical and it emphasized the killer whale attractions. Once the commercial was done, there would be strong evidence to show that captivity was not a magical place, backing the film’s purpose. The documentary was not going against SeaWorld in a bashing way, but rather showing the audience the truths behind the industry. When analyzing the film, one must note who the audience is. The film was directed towards an audience of the general public, those who care about animals, and those who may have or want to attend a killer whale show. The material in the film is presented in a way for the audience to understand and comprehend, as well as feel emotionally for the creatures kept captive. This is entirely the purpose of the film as well. The directors …show more content…
The film tries to show its audience that killer whales do not belong in captivity and that people should not support any industry who keeps these animals captive. Blackfish uses different literary devices in order to stir up emotions in its audience and to persuade them not to support industries that keep killer whales captive, as well as not looking at other points of views leading to a biased documentary. Blackfish evokes a lot of emotion in its audience and hopefully has a lasting impression on those who take the time to learn about killer whales and watch the